Our voices. Our history. Our future.
Every life carries a story worth hearing.
The Stories We Carry brings forward the voices and experiences of Black LGBTQIA+ people in St. Louis. Through personal conversations, we celebrate identity, honor lived experience, and preserve stories that connect our community across generations.
Meet the Storytellers
Four voices. Four journeys. Stories that invite us to listen, reflect, and connect.
Carol
Robinson
“I think that having a sense of self that feels rich and valuable is important for everybody.”
“All prides have been dealing with this kind of power struggle from the beginning.”
Rudy Nickens
“We are all completely good. We are all completely powerful and brilliant and wonderful.”
“I don't have to have a person to hold hands with. Like we're all dancing together.”
Dr. LJ
Punch
“We cannot do this alone. We cannot do this if we're not completely conscious about what's at stake and what's actually happening. And we can't do this if we don't speak.”
“I have been trying to hold on, therefore, to a radical commitment to worth, that all bodies are whole, that all bodies are worthy, and that as a physician, even worthy of compassionate love.”
Erise
Williams Jr.
“You got to show up as yourself, your genuine self, because people will know when you're not being who you are.”
“Our intention was just to get our people together so that we could, like you said, have fun and enjoy each other, make connections, meet up, do what we do.”
Our stories deserve to be carried forward.
The Stories We Carry is a Black Pride St. Louis storytelling initiative centering personal experiences, identity, and community. Through intimate conversations, we make space for people to speak in their own words—and for the rest of us to listen, connect, and carry those stories forward.
The story continues with us.
Our experiences matter. Our voices deserve to be heard. Together, we carry our community’s stories forward.